IT’S YOUR JAWN Once you bake a Mom-Mom Pizza, it’s your jawn (pronounced JHAO-N, South Philly speak for “it’s your thing”). And you can do any number of things with it! Right before baking, add fresh mozzarella and enjoy it hot and gooey. Try it with sliced avocado, Maldon sea salt flakes, and grinds of black pepper for Italian-style avocado toast. It’s so yummy topped with Tender Broccoli Rabe and Toasted Garlic (page 93) or Sautéed Escarole (page 233). Want to experience total heaven? Blanket a slice with Caramelized Onions (see page 61). Once cool, top it with olive oil–packed Italian tuna tossed with Pepper-Fennel Relish (page 188). Try it the Little Owl brunch way: Cut a large slice of room-temperature Mom-Mom Pizza and top it with a fried egg, a few paper-thin slices of prosciutto, and some fresh arugula drizzled with olive oil. For the record, I am not the kind of chef who thinks everything tastes better with an egg on it. But I do enjoy giving people what they want. And I’ve learned anything topped with an egg is exactly what people want! The beauty of a slice of Mom-Mom Pizza is that it tastes amazing at room temperature, which makes it a terrific vehicle for all sorts of toppings that you can riff on for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (This pizza is a “mom-mom” kind of love—all give.)
“Mom-Mom” is what I called my grandmother Rosie Bova, and she worked wonders with pizza. She employed two simple secrets. The first is that she used a cast-iron sheet tray, which holds and distributes heat better than a run-of-the-mill aluminum cookie sheet and gives you that wonderful, golden-brown crispy crust on the bottom and on the edges of the pizza. The second is she put oregano in the dough, giving it a whisper of an herb flavor. And my third, additional secret is to use molasses instead of sugar to provide a depth of flavor and a toasty brown color, too! That crispy olive oil underside and soft, gooey layer on top where the sauce meets the dough make it distinctly South Philly. And the best part is that this pizza tastes brilliant at room temperature, which means you can make it hours ahead of time. Note: I recommend using a 121/4 by 181/4 in [31 by 46.5 cm] sheet tray and cutting your pizza into sixteen 4 in [10 cm] squares—but have some fun with it and cut it into any size that floats your boat. (But 4 in [10 cm] squares further divide into little triangles that are perfect for Mom-Mom pizza party bites, just saying!)
SERVES 8
2 packets active dry yeast
1/4 cup [60 ml] olive oil
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
4 cups [560 g] all-purpose flour
3/4 cup [180 ml] Mom-Mom Pizza Sauce (recipe follows), or more as needed
1/2 cup [30 g] finely grated pecorino cheese
Brush a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with the hook attachment, add the yeast, 11/2 cups [360 ml] of warm water, the olive oil, molasses, oregano, and salt and mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the flour and continue mixing until a dough ball forms around the hook. Transfer the dough ball to the prepared mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot on your counter until the dough rises and doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 500°F [260°C].
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle a scant amount of flour on top. Using a rolling pin, gently roll it out to the shape of your pan. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and, using your fingertips, punch it down and stretch it out so that it is evenly distributed and has a uniform thickness, about 1/4 in [6 mm] thick.
Using a large spoon, spread a thin, even layer of Mom-Mom Pizza Sauce over the dough, leaving a 1 in [2.5 cm] border of uncovered dough along the edges. Use about 3/4 cup [180 ml] sauce to cover the pizza (or more, if you like more). Whatever you do not use can be reserved for another pizza. Set the pizza aside, uncovered in a warm place, and let rise again before baking, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the pecorino over the pizza and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before cutting and serving plain (the old-school way), or see “It’s Your Jawn” (facing page) for topping ideas.
MAKES 11/4 CUPS [300 ML]